Pre-Fountain Pen Day Giveaways, Plus Details on In-Store Events and "Grand Opening"!

I know Fountain Pen Day isn’t for another two weeks, but since I’ve got to start planning for our first “in-store” Fountain Pen Day celebration, I figured why not kick things off a bit early with a giveaway and promotion that will run up until Fountain Pen Day on Friday, November 1! For those unfamiliar, Fountain Pen Day is celebrated on the first Friday of November, and is celebrated worldwide as a time to embrace, promote and share the use of fountain pens. Read more on the official Fountain Pen Day website.

First Up, Giveaway Details!

From now through Fountain Pen Day, we’re giving away two fun “starter sets”, each of which includes a pen, two pocket-sized notebooks, and a small bottle of ink from Anderillium! The two specific giveaway prizes include:

• Kakimori Colour Liner Brush Pen. In addition to the pen, you will receive a small bottle of Anderillium ink, a Tomoe River Pocket Notebook from Lochby, and a TGS-stamped Pocket Notebook from Scout Books.

• Platinum Plaisir “Aura” Fountain Pen. In addition to the Platinum Fountain pen, which is a .3mm/fine nib and will ship with a converter installed, the Plaisir will also include a small bottle of Anderillium Ink and both pocket notebooks.

Both packs will also include a bunch of T.G.S. Swag, including buttons, stickers, and more!

Giveaway rules are simple: Either comment on this post or like the accompanying Instagram post that will go up shortly. I will number all comments and likes and pick two winners using a random number generator. Giveaway will run through 11:59pm US Central Time on Thursday, October 31. While the giveaway is open to everyone (both those in the U.S. and Internationally), I may ask international winners to chip in on shipping, depending on the cost. The value of each package is approximately $30-40.

You can take a video tour of our shop on the YouTube Channel!

Grand Opening / Pre-Fountain Pen Day Promotion!

From now until Fountain Pen Day (Friday, November 1), we’re also running a sales promo! Any fountain pen purchase of $30 or more from our shop will include a small bottle of ink free of charge. This will likely be a small bottle of Herbin, Anderillium, or other ink that we have in our “sample chest”. The color will be a surprise, though we will do our best to match it to your pen! The $30 purchase limit excludes shipping, but you can reach that number by combining a fountain pen with other items. (i.e., you can purchase a $15 fountain pen and add a $15 notebook, and still have that qualify as a “Fountain Pen purchase” for purposes of the promotion).

We will announce our specific Fountain Pen Day deals closer to Nov. 1, but they will be different from this offer, which ends on October 31. Also, we are planning to host an all-day in-store event on Friday, November 1 (“Fountain Pen Day”), which will feature in-store exclusive promotions, in-store pen and ink testing, free samples, and whatever else I can think of. We’ve only recently launched our brick-and-mortar store so we’re looking forward to welcoming as many of you as possible in-person.

The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases through our own T.G.S. Curated Shop, and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. If you’d like to visit our store in-person, you can view location and hours here. Please spread the word, as we are newly opened in the Nashville, Tennessee area and want people to know where we are!

Sunday Reading for October 20, 2024

1. October 2024 London Pen Show - The Partial Visit (via Dapprman). I missed the London Pen Show by exactly a day. But I do want to go back in the Spring. A bunch of interesting brands here that are new to me!

2. Oblation Papers & Press Shop Visit (via Pen Addict - Kimberly). What a great shop layout!

3. Is the 2025 Hobonichi Paper Inadequate? (via Well-Appointed Desk). I’m not sure I’m going to use Hobonichi for 2025 anyway, so this really doesn’t apply to me, but apparently there is much controversy with the latest Hobonichi release. Perhaps batch inconsistency?

4. Finding the Plotter Size I Want (via Stationery Pizza). I can’t emphasize enough how nice a narrower notebook can be, especially to fit things like smaller sling bags.

5. Endless Storyboard Pocket Notebooks (via Blake’s Broadcast). Endless’s series of “theme” pocket notebooks has been around for a while, now featuring their proprietary Regalia paper.

6. Some Weeks It Takes Two Daily Drivers (via mnmlscholar). Only two? What about six? :)

7. Color Traveler Sardine Blue Gray (via Fountain Pen Pharmacist). Color Traveler has some excellent inks in the Blue-Gray range. It’s a fun brand that doesn't get nearly as much attention as it should.

8. NaNoWri…No (via Pen Addict - Sarah). So I missed all this!

9. The Montblanc 100 Day Writing Challenge - Epilogue (via Pete Denison). Writing challenges and journaling prompts are a great way to spark your creativity, and improve your handwriting!

10. Pelikan Hubs 2024 - A Recap (via Pelikan’s Perch). Another great Hub recap (with more ideas on future venues as the Hubs continue to grow).

In Case You Missed It….

This week on the blog I returned from a trip abroad and finally got around to some new content, both written and video! I wrote a piece on my recent experiments with rollerball refills, and whether I may have actually found a couple that will work for me long-term. I also reviewed the “Journeyman” mechanical ballpoint from Wingback, which is the subject of an ongoing Kickstarter campaign. Finally, I did a video review of two inks I picked up at L. Cornelissen & Son in London, which are from their “Historic” series and are based on vintage ink recipes used by famous historic figures such as Sir Isaac Newton and Virginia Woolf (which are the two inks I brought home with me).

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Diamine Inkvent calendars are available both online and in the shop. We’ve added some hours to our brick and mortar store and will be open Thursday through Saturday, with other days by appointment. Check out this page here for updated store hours and more.

This Week in the T.G.S. Curated Shop

As we get geared up for the holiday season, new arrivals and restocks are coming in. The biggest new arrival this week was probably the Lamy 2000 58th Anniversary “Pine” fountain pen set, which features a dark green Makrolon that ships with a Lamy notebook. We also received our allocation of the Traveler’s Company 2025 Dated Diaries, as well as all of the 2025 accessories including folders, stickers, pencil boards and more. Finally, Blackwing Volume 71 arrived, along with new Blackwing paper formats such as the spiral notebooks and reporter-style pads. Check out this week’s Thursday drops for all the details! (Oh, and Inkvent Calendars are here! I told you it was a busy week. :))

Traveler's Company

Lamy 2000

Sunderland

Blackwing

Check Out T.G.S. Patreon for Breaking news and first access/Special pricing on exclusives (Including the Sunderland Mk1)

If you enjoy our content (whether here on the main website, Instagram, YouTube Channel or elsewhere), and would like early/extra access to shop releases and gently used stationery opportunities, consider supporting us via Patreon. We do our best to remain 100% self-supported without having to rely on third-party advertisers or affiliates. Of course, the number one way to help is to visit our curated retail shop either online (or in person, if you’re in the Nashville area)! If you enjoy in-person and virtual meetups and having access to more personal content, the T.G.S. Patreon includes these as well as access to early shop releases, the quarterly gently used sales, a monthly updates newsletter, and of course our monthly Zoom meetups. Patreon support starts as low as $3 per month, and if you pay annually there is a further discount. This month’s Patreon “special” is an extra bit off the TGS x Sunderland Collaboration Pen.

No matter how you support us - even if just with a comment, recommendation, or encouraging word - we greatly appreciate your readership!

Kickstarter Alert: The Wingback Journeyman Pen

It’s always exciting to see U.K.-based Wingback release a new pen! They’re one of my favorite penmakers working with heavier materials like brass and stainless steel, since they pay close attention to the design and balance, with a focus on building pens that are both durable and capable of being used as an everyday writer. Specifically, Wingback pens and mechanical pencils tend to be shorter in order to offset the increased weight of the metals they use. You might think that this is an obvious point, but you’d be surprised at the number of machined pens on the market that end up too heavy to use for more than a few lines of writing at a time.

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Introducing the Wingback “Journeyman”!

While Wingback’s latest release, the “Journeyman”, is a touch longer than the existing “Mechanical Pen”, it maintains an excellent feel in the hand and should be on your list of pens to consider if you’re looking for a durable go-anywhere pocket writer. Even better, this new model has customization options previously unavailable.

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The new crown/knock incorporates a milled clip.

For those unfamiliar with the Wingback Mechanical Pen, it features a unique “twist bolt action” mechanism that locks down and, with some practice, can be operated one-handed. The Journeyman uses this same style of knock, but incorporates a milled clip into the crown that allows the pen to be secured to a bag, pen case, or pocket. Personally, I also find that the clip makes the mechanism easier to grip and deploy. Wingback has retained other favorite design elements such as the diamond knurling on the grip (neither too sharp nor too slick - just right!) and a comfortable barrel diameter that once again emphasizes the pen’s usability.

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The Wingback Journeyman (right) is only slightly longer than the Mechanical Pen (right). The Journeyman is shown in a combination of brass and stainless steel, while the Mechanical Pen is shown in Black Steel.

So what differentiates the Journeyman from prior Wingback offerings, in addition to the clip?

• Customization. The Journeyman can be customized on a component level, allowing you to mix and match materials. Available in brass, stainless steel, and Black Steel, you can now choose different combinations of metals for the barrel, crown, and clip. The pen I was sent for review features a brass barrel, with a stainless steel crown and clip. A full titanium pen is also available, though you cannot mix and match the titanium components with other materials.

• Refill Compatibility. The Wingback Mechanical Pen used a Fisher Space Pen pressurized refill, which is somewhat polarizing as many people don’t enjoy the way that it feels on the page. (I like it, but it’s not for everyone.) The Journeyman offers more flexibility, as it takes an international G2/Parker-style refill. While it ships with a Schmidt Easyflow 9000, you can choose from any number of ballpoint, gel, or even rollerball options in this format.

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The mechanism isn’t complex: simply unscrew the knock and drop in a new refill.

Are there any drawbacks to the Journeyman’s design over the clipless Wingback models? In addition to a bit of added weight from the clip and increased length, I should mention that the edges of the milled clip are somewhat sharp, and can snag your hand if the pen rotates while you’re writing. If you don’t tend to rotate your pen, this may not be an issue, but I’ll also add that my pen is a review sample so the finished product may differ as production specs are finalized.

Takeaways and Where To Buy

As with the other Wingback products I have reviewed, I found the quality to be top notch, and fans of machined mechanical pencils and pens will want to check out the Kickstarter page for full details. With two weeks to go at the time of writing, the Journeyman already has received nearly $100,000 in pledges (blowing past its funding goal of $2000), and Wingback has a track record on Kickstarter, so while Kickstarter projects are never guaranteed, there’s no doubt in my mind that the project will deliver. Current estimates have the Journeyman pens arriving in March 2025. Pledges start at £150 (roughly $195), making it a not-inexpensive purchase, but Wingback has always been known for not skimping on the quality of materials or construction.

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Clockwise from left: Wingback Journeyman, Wingback Mechanical Pen, and Wingback Mechanical Pencil. Check out the patina on the pencil, that’s developed over a couple of years.

If you’d like to read further on other Wingback pens and pencils, you can check out my reviews of the Wingback Mechanical Pencil and Fountain Pen and Mechanical Pen here. Pocket pens are one of my core areas of interest, and I periodically update the site’s “Guide to Top Pocket Pens”, which I also encourage you to visit.

Wingback provided me with the pencil featured in this review free of charge, for review purposes. I was not otherwise compensated for this review. The Gentleman Stationer is supported by purchases through our own T.G.S. Curated Shop, and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program.

Thursday Drops: Traveler's Company 2025 Planners, Plus New Blackwing Pencils and Notebooks!

Yesterday marked the launch of the 2025 Traveler's Company Planners/Diaries, and you can get yours now in the shop, along with all of the 2025 accessories including folders, pencil boards, and more! We also have the Diamine Inkvent “Black Edition” Calendars available for preorder, which should ship or be available for pickup in the store later this week as soon as they arrive.

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The latest Blackwing Volumes release includes both a pencil set and legal pads.

The biggest new arrival was two huge boxes of Blackwing restocks and new limited editions, including the Volume 71 Pencil and limited edition legal pads. We also have Blackwing Spiral Notebooks, Reporter Notebooks, and yes, the Canvas Pouch that’s long enough to hold 36 unsharpened Blackwing pencils. Happy Shopping!

1. Traveler’s Company 2025 Dated Planners. It’s planner time again, and this week Traveler’s Company released the 2025 diary refills in three Standard formats (Weekly, Weekly + Memo, and Monthly) and two Passport (Weekly and Monthly).

2. Traveler’s Company 2025 Limited Edition Folders. This year’s accessories feature a peace and love theme dubbed “Love and Trip,” and you have both Standard and Passport folder options to hold all of your travel papers and/or trip mementos.

3. Traveler’s Company 2025 Limited Edition Pencil Boards. The pencil boards are always popular, as they share the same annual theme and allow you to add a harder writing surface to your Traveler’s Notebook for working on the go. Available in Standard and Passport sizes.

4. Traveler’s Company 2025 Custom Sticker Set. Personalize your Traveler’s Notebook, refills, and accessories with the annual sticker set that includes a variety of stickers, labels, dry transfers, and more.

5. Traveler’s Company Tokyo Refill. This year’s limited edition notebook theme was “Tokyo”, and while those are sold out, we do have remaining stock of the MD Paper Refills with the Tokyo-themed decor on the cover.

6. Diamine Inkvent “Black Edition”. Already? Yes - go ahead and pre-order yours so that you’re prepared to play along starting December 1 (or earlier, if you’re into spoilers). These will ship as soon as we have them in our hands, probably later this week.

7. Blackwing Spiral Notebooks. We recently received a shipment of the new Blackwing Spiral Notebooks in A4, with extremely sturdy chipboard covers and four ruling choices. I’m a fan of Blackwing paper - it’s good for all but the very wettest fountain pen nibs, and especially pleasant to write on with a tactile pencil.

8. Blackwing Reporter Pads/Notebooks. I’m always on the lookout for a reporter-style notebook with quality paper and durable construction. Featuring the same Blackwing Paper and ruling choices as the Spiral Notebooks and “Illegal” Pads.

9. Blackwing Volume 71 (Frank Lloyd Wright) Limited Edition Pencils. The latest limited edition Blackwing Volumes set feature a combination of lacquer and natural wood, inspired by Wright’s Usonian home design. Extra-firm graphite for long, sharp points!

10. Blackwing Volume 71 Legal Pads. In conjunction with the release of the Frank Lloyd Wright Pencil, Blackwing has also released a limited edition legal pad, featuring a slightly larger 9” x 12” format (“Arch A”), sold in a set of two pads with different grids, both rectangle and triangle/isometric. I love the red binding and tan ruling!

11. Blackwing Volume 746 (Golden Gate Bridge) Limited Edition Pencils. These gorgeous red/orange limited editions, which may be my favorite Blackwing Volumes release to date, are back in stock.

12. Blackwing Canvas Pencil Pouch. Yes, these are long enough to hold unsharpened Blackwing Pencils, and 36 of them at that!

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. If you enjoy our content please give us a follow and consider supporting us by shopping with us directly or pledging via Patreon. Many thanks!

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Do I Really Hate Rollerballs? Revisiting This Question for the Umpteenth Time

The rollerball and I have shared a fraught relationship over the years. Yes, I’ve tried. I really want to love what many describe as the most “elegant” writing instrument short of a fountain pen. I know they’re supposed to be smoother. I know they’re the “professional” choice. I know the ink is permanent. But for nearly twenty-plus years I haven’t been able to find one that truly works for me. Lately I’ve been trying a bit harder.

What prompted me to revisit rollerballs? I still get weekly questions about them, for one thing, and it’s hard for me to recommend specific items if I’m not familiar with the product category. But beyond that is a general sense that I’m missing something. I regularly have customers who bulk order rollerball refills - there are pen people out there who really love their rollerballs - so I figured I should do a deeper dive.

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Five different writing samples, from the top: Caran d’Ache 849 Rollerball Fine in Blue; Montblanc Medium St. Exupery limited edition rollerball refill; Pilot G2 gel refill, for comparison; Schneider Topball 580 fine; and Baron Fig/Schmidt P8127. Note the new “Hex” Baron Fig Squire at the bottom, which Baron Fig was kind enough to send me to test out!

Reasons Why People Love Rollerball Pens

• Dark, Permanent Lines. As I remarked in my recent writeup of the Lamy AL-Star Rollerball, there’s something deeply satisfying about a pen that lays down a dark, bold line, especially when you’re brainstorming on a legal pad or a giant desk blotter. Since the majority of rollerball refills only come in black or dark blue (and less commonly red and green), you’re sure to get a dark line, and the ink is almost always permanent.

• The Smoothness Factor. If you ask rollerball enthusiasts why they love their pen so much, many - if not most - will tell you that it’s because the writing experience is so smooth. Rollerball cartridges contain liquid ink, and most companies use relatively wide tip sizes (.7mm-1.0mm) to guarantee a wet, “smooth” writing experience that seems to glide across the page, especially compared to an oil-based ballpoint.

• Ubiquity and Convenience. Rollerballs are popular, having assumed the mantle of the “executive” pen of choice over the fountain pen during the 1990s. You can typically find rollerball refills in any big-box store, even for higher-end brands like Montblanc, and it’s quite easy to change the cartridge. (Which you may have to do often - see below.)

• Versatility: Both Capped and Capless Options are Available. Over the past 20 years, rollerball technology has improved to the point where there are very good capless refills that allow for a retractable design. Pens such as the Retro 51 Tornado, the Baron Fig Squire, and the Caran d’Ache 849 Rollerball all use capless refills and twist or click mechanisms.

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Even on relatively thick Midori MD Paper, you still see the Montblanc and Schmidt refills come through the paper a bit.

Why Rollerball Pens Haven’t Necessarily Worked for Me

• Temperamental Refills. My biggest problem with rollerballs has been that the refills are expensive and don’t last very long. Costing anywhere from $8-10, you would expect to get at least a month or more of writing, yet I regularly come across rollerball refills that dry up and clog long before they actually run dry. I’ve even had refills that don’t write out of the box. If this happens I always contact my retailer/distributor and request a replacement, or I return them to the store.

• Feathering and Bleedthrough. Whether you are writing with a rollerball or a fountain pen, any ink that’s a combination of “wet” and “permanent” will have a tendency to bleed and feather on most papers. Rollerballs can be even worse than fountain pens because the ink is being applied with a sharp tip, which presses the ink into the paper fibers and makes bleedthrough and feathering even more likely. You can, however, find drier rollerball refills to minimize this tendency, and I’ll discuss a few of my preferred options below.

• Lack of Color Options, Namely Blue-Black. Nine times out of 10, I’ll choose a blue-black ink over standard black or standard blue. It turns out that blue-black rollerball refills are hard to come by, and you’ll typically have to seek out third-party “aftermarket” options by companies like Monteverde. That said, I’m more likely to choose a rollerball or fineliner over a fountain pen when I want to write with plain black ink, since it’s typically quite dark.

• I Personally Prefer Fineliners. Most capped rollerball pens are also compatible with fineliner cartridges, and since I genuinely love how fineliners write, I will typically opt for one over a rollerball. Lately I’ve enjoyed refillable fineliners, since I can use my fountain pen inks without worrying about expensive and finicky cartridges. I’m also playing around with a Kakimori “inkball” pen that I was sent as a promotional tester, which also allows you to use fountain pen ink in a rollerball-style tip.

Two Sunderland mk1 machined pens, one with a Montblanc rollerball refill (right), and another with a Pilot G2 gel refill (left).

So What’s the Verdict? For Me, a Rollerball Depends Entirely on the Refill

Namely, a drier refill. As much as I may try to “accept it”, I hate feathering and bleedthrough. I think it looks sloppy on paper, and defeats any of the so-called elegance inherent in writing with a nice pen. For this reason, I strongly favor drier rollerball refills that don’t lay a thick line of ink down on the page. My three favorites are:

• Caran d’Ache 849 Parker-Style Rollerball Cartridge. While I have no proof, I suspect that there is gel pen technology incorporated into this refill, because it behaves quite differently from most other rollerball cartridges I’ve tried. The ink does not bleed or feather on most papers, and the versatile Parker-style cartridge fits a wide variety of different pens. There’s even a finer tip available. (Disclaimer: We sell these refills, and quite a lot of them.)

• Schneider Topball 850 Refill. This has long been my “stick” rollerball cartridge of choice for capped pens. It writes a clean, precise line, and fits most European rollerball pens, though you may have to modify the length with tape or a spacer.

• Montblanc Rollerball Refills. Expensive, yes. Short lifespan? You bet. BUT, they’re also well-behaved and feature a relatively wide color selection (including limited editions). Despite being a finicky refill that tends to dry out faster than I would like, Montblanc rollerball cartridges look super nice on the page. Because they are threaded and screw into the pen, there is zero tip wiggle.

I’ve gradually come to accept that a rollerball will never be my everyday carry pen of choice, but I feel like I have a solid stable of refill options I can turn to if I like the design of a specific pen and want to pick one up. It’s also worth remembering that many gel ink cartridges can be hacked to fit rollerball pens, and many smaller manufacturers (like Sunderland Machine Works) are making pens specifically designed to fit both rollerball cartridges and gel refills like the Pilot G2.

What’s your favorite rollerball cartridge? I’m thinking of exploring more Japanese options, such as the Ohto Ceramic series, in the near future, as I’ve heard these tend to favor finer lines and may work better for my style of writing. Stay tuned!

The Gentleman Stationer is supported entirely by purchases from the T.G.S. Curated Shop and pledges via the T.G.S. Patreon Program. If you enjoy our content please give us a follow and consider supporting us by shopping with us directly or pledging via Patreon. Many thanks!